This invention relates to a bun production system, and more particularly, to a high speed bakery bun making system, wherein the system is substantially automated.
Specifically, the bun making system of the invention includes a dough piece divider, an intermediate proofing unit, a bun moulder-panner, a final bun proofer and an oven, and conveyor means arranged to convey empty pans to the bun moulder-panner in a substantially direct line in a direction toward the dough piece divider and the intermediate proofing unit, with the pans delivered to the end of the bun moulder-panner remote from the dough piece divider and the intermediate proofing unit. This arrangement eliminates a substantial amount of pan conveyors and conveyor turns and/or right angle transfers and associated structure, with the result that substantially less floor space is required than with prior art devices, pan handling reliability is improved and also the system of the invention is substantially more economical than prior systems. Also, more than one pan conveyor and its associated dough piece divider, intermediate proofer and moulder-panner may easily be used with the invention.
The moulder-panner pan conveyor and the bun forming belt of the moulder-panner operate in the same direction so that the pans and buns move in the same direction, and dropping of the buns into the pan indentations can thus be more accurately controlled and the position of the buns in the indentations can be maintained.
In F. D. Marasso U.S. Pat. No. 2,750,899, granted June 19, 1956, for example, the moulder-panner unit is disposed in a position in which pans delivered manually thereto move through it in a direction away from and in line with the vertical section of the intermediate proofer. Therefore, the vertical section of the intermediate proofer has been a barrier to any mechanical means of delivering pans in a direct straight line to the moulder-panner.
Accordingly, with any automated prior art arrangements, substantially more conveyors and conveyor turns or right angle transfers and associated hardware are required in order to achieve the proper orientation of pans and buns, and also, substantially more floor space is required for the extra conveyors and turns and the like. These extra components, particularly those changing the direction of pan travel, increase the potential of a system malfunction.
With the present invention, the above problems are eliminated and an efficient and effective high speed bun production system is obtained, wherein the moulder-panner units are turned end-for-end and the pan conveyors move in a straight line to the bun moulder-panners and in a direction toward the intermediate bun proofers, thus eliminating conveyor turns and associated structures and the like, and thus requiring substantially less floor space than prior art systems.